Dumb Chainsaw related injuries

[BloodOnTheIce]

This past weekend I was doing a little firewood cutting and I went to start my saw (drop starting) and heard my shoulder pop and didn't think anything of it. Woke up Monday morning with a slightly sore shoulder and it got progressively worse through the week. Yesterday it hurt so bad I couldn't lift any of my tools to do any work, luckily had a lot of other work to be done at the shop. Made an appointment and saw the doctor today, found out I have rotator cuff injury, and can't do any heavy lifting, or much of anything w/ my left arm, and especially no running or starting chainsaws. I guess this is what I get for being a dumb*ss and drop starting my saws all the time. I'm just pissed off at myself for being so damn dumb. If anyone else has suffered dumb chainsaw related injuries lets hear them.

 

[chemist]

This past weekend I was doing a little firewood cutting and I went to start my saw (drop starting) and heard my shoulder pop and didn't think anything of it. Woke up Monday morning with a slightly sore shoulder and it got progressively worse through the week. Yesterday it hurt so bad I couldn't lift any of my tools to do any work, luckily had a lot of other work to be done at the shop. Made an appointment and saw the doctor today, found out I have rotator cuff injury, and can't do any heavy lifting, or much of anything w/ my left arm, and especially no running or starting chainsaws. I guess this is what I get for being a dumb*ss and drop starting my saws all the time. I'm just pissed off at myself for being so damn dumb. If anyone else has suffered dumb chainsaw related injuries lets hear them.

Had a rotator cuff injury in my early twenties... hate to tell you this, but it took a long time to completely heal... worse is that years down the road you won't even think about it and you will move in a certain way that brings it right back out!

its a really crappy injury...

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Had a rotator cuff injury in my early twenties... hate to tell you this, but it took a long time to completely heal... worse is that years down the road you won't even think about it and you will move in a certain way that brings it right back out!

its a really crappy injury...

Boy I know it since, my mom had surgery for hers back in the spring, my stepdad has had both of his shoulders done, I'm only 28 and I know it's gonna suck.

 

[RandyMac]

I have 20 years worth, I'd enrage my carpal tunnel listing them.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Cautious all day, except for right at the end, foolishly rushing to get home for a beer.
I dropped a heavily limbed tree and the trunk sat approx 7/8 feet off the ground. I decided to nick a limb which so happened to support this tree in turn caused it to roll toward me.
I was doing the quickstep backwards as the tree rolled and another limb came up over and crowned me on the forehead.
A good bit of blood and a decent scab followed.
I was booked in for a forestry and chainsaw course within days and was asked what had happened to my forehead.
I declined to answer of course.

You can never be too careful.

 

[scotclayshooter]

I broke a rib when i fell on the front handle of a Husky 455! The 455 lived lol
then got bearhugged a few weeks later and broke it again

 

[dancan]

I was clearing a lot with a lot of dead crap , always looking up for the widow maker , bent over to start cutting and wham the helmet and glasses go flying from a blow to the cheek from a sapling (left a nice welt for few days ) .The lesson to me was ,Pay Attention Dummy! ...Look Up and Down and both ways across the street !
Another time I was cutting and a friend was winching , I hitch , step back , and give the go ahead signal (wasn't quite far enough) the tree fetches up and whips out ,I end up looking at the sky and wiping blood from my neck after picking up my helmet from the whipping I got from the tree top (payback for cutting it down I guess) .That one reminded me every morning for a year when I shaved !
So pay attention because these were dumb and could have been avoided .
I won't talk about the time I was chipping brush . got whipped by branches , had my helmet go flying and lost my glasses !

 

[7600]

I was cutting some decent size oak for a guy. I had one down and just started to limb it. I cut my limb, let off the trigger on saw and turned to my right. The chain was still spinning it hit the brush and was deflected right into my left knee. No chaps. I was laid up for two weeks. Anytime I touch a saw now I have chaps on.

 

[smilin possum]

Working in the top of a 70' oak I dropped into some small junk. Working down the tree and cut a bent saplin about 1" around. It came flying out from under there and caught me in both ankles and turned me a complete sideways flip. Landed flat on my back with the saw above my chest. Was real lucky no cuts just bruised ankles and my butt. I ain't to little 6'2 about 250 and it got me for I could move. Just didn't see it in there. Stupid on my part, I look more now than ever. Saw safe you can't be to careful.

 

[J.Walker]

Sounds like it's time to get one of those spring assest starting saws from Domar or Jonsered.
Is there a Stihl model that offers spring assest starting.

Just send those big Huskeys over here. I'll keep the gas in them from going bad!

They say the best PT is posting more here on AS!

 

[BC 5100S]

7600, don't feel so bad. I did exactly the same thing just after I bought my 5100s. I wasn't used to a saw that ran so well and at such high RPM. I thought I had left enough time for the chain to stop, but apparently not.

Lucky for me, it was just a flesh wound. 1 ruined pair of jeans and a scar - + a really good excuse to get some chaps.

 

[dancan]

Welcome aboard BC 5100s , lots of good info on this site and can always use more so don't be shy (but don't forget to use the search) .

 

[BobL]

I had bursitis in both shoulders ~3 years ago (dull pain all the time becoming more painful when lifting arms above shoulder height or even putting on a T-shirt). After numerous visits to the doctor, various treatments and therapies including needles, I gave up because nothing seemed to work. Around the same time I started getting interested again in chainsaws and in CS milling. I bought my 076 (no CR valve) and set it up on my mill and it used to give my right arm hell starting it but I persisted against my docs advice. It did not take long to get the knack of starting it within 3 goes from cold and first time when warm. Anyway 12 months later I realized that my bursitis had all but disappeared. Doc reckons toting CS Mill and all that lumber has probably strengthened the muscles in my shoulders so that they better support arms! BTW I ended up buying and fitting a CR valve to teh 076 but I find I don't need to use it.

 

[7600]

BC 5100s I've been using a saw for years. I guess it can happen to anyone.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

This past weekend I was doing a little firewood cutting and I went to start my saw (drop starting) and heard my shoulder pop and didn't think anything of it. Woke up Monday morning with a slightly sore shoulder and it got progressively worse through the week. Yesterday it hurt so bad I couldn't lift any of my tools to do any work, luckily had a lot of other work to be done at the shop. Made an appointment and saw the doctor today, found out I have rotator cuff injury, and can't do any heavy lifting, or much of anything w/ my left arm, and especially no running or starting chainsaws. I guess this is what I get for being a dumb*ss and drop starting my saws all the time. I'm just pissed off at myself for being so damn dumb. If anyone else has suffered dumb chainsaw related injuries lets hear them.

Sorry to hear about your injury.

I got a little chuckle out of your word choice (In red above)...maybe it was a Freudian slip? I was wondering if you used your 395 XP to just limb your doctor or your 3120 XP and went straight for his trunk?

Get better soon.

 

[SteveH]

I cut down a number of 8 to 10 inch diameter trees and had them sectioned into maybe 7 foot lengths. On a steep slope, I was lifting the end of each and shoving them downhill, let them end-over-end a couple times to save the next lift. I shoved another one over, turned away to get ready to lift the next, and next thing I knew was waking up a few seconds later with my face down in the damp detritus beneath a tree next to me. There was a limb above me I hadn't noticed, the trunk I shoved over had caught on it and it sprung back and caught me on the temple. I drove myself to a clinic for a dozen stitches. In the rearview mirror of my truck as I drove, I could see my skull thru the cut. I held a jacket across my lap to catch the blood.

Always check above, even after the saw is off and set aside.... Duh.

 

[nmurph]

This past weekend I was doing a little firewood cutting and I went to start my saw (drop starting) and heard my shoulder pop and didn't think anything of it. Woke up Monday morning with a slightly sore shoulder and it got progressively worse through the week. Yesterday it hurt so bad I couldn't lift any of my tools to do any work, luckily had a lot of other work to be done at the shop. Made an appointment and saw the doctor today, found out I have rotator cuff injury, and can't do any heavy lifting, or much of anything w/ my left arm, and especially no running or starting chainsaws. I guess this is what I get for being a dumb*ss and drop starting my saws all the time. I'm just pissed off at myself for being so damn dumb. If anyone else has suffered dumb chainsaw related injuries lets hear them.

did he suggest tear or inflamation???? i had a total reconstruction of the major shoulder muscle/tendon christmas 07. the surgery is fairly painful, but in a couple of weeks you start to feel better. if you have surgery go ahead and buy yourself the best recliner you can. i mean one you can sleep 8hrs in; you will need it. then the therapy starts........all i can say is ouch!!!!! after a couple of weeks of therapy things really start to feel better........then the big wait......at least 6 months of no lifting overhead (or even laterally) though picking up logs to put into the fireplace didn't seem to bother me. it is about 1 yr bf you can cut loose and do what you want.....

 

[PetrolHead]

I cut down a number of 8 to 10 inch diameter trees and had them sectioned into maybe 7 foot lengths. On a steep slope, I was lifting the end of each and shoving them downhill, let them end-over-end a couple times to save the next lift. I shoved another one over, turned away to get ready to lift the next, and next thing I knew was waking up a few seconds later with my face down in the damp detritus beneath a tree next to me. There was a limb above me I hadn't noticed, the trunk I shoved over had caught on it and it sprung back and caught me on the temple. I drove myself to a clinic for a dozen stitches. In the rearview mirror of my truck as I drove, I could see my skull thru the cut. I held a jacket across my lap to catch the blood.

Always check above, even after the saw is off and set aside.... Duh.

Man, that sounds like something from a Vincent Price horror movie.

I was cutting some decent size oak for a guy. I had one down and just started to limb it. I cut my limb, let off the trigger on saw and turned to my right. The chain was still spinning it hit the brush and was deflected right into my left knee. No chaps. I was laid up for two weeks. Anytime I touch a saw now I have chaps on.

Same thing happened to me, was not watching what I was doing coming out of a cut, luckily I was wearing chaps. My brother had made a joke about me wearing them earlier in the day.